Sheffield Steelers star hopes he and his pals can bring GB’s winning momentum into the new season

Bob Westerdale

Robert Dowd hopes some of Steelers’ Great Britain stars can bring their winning momentum into the Sheffield Elite League camp next season.

He, Davey Phillips and Jonathan Phillips helped GB to a thrilling, promotion-winning World championship performance recently in the World Championships.

Ben O’Connor was a huge part of that corps too - but has now been recruited by KHL side Barys Astana, while Liam Kirk is NHL-draft bound next month, as he too seeks fame and fortune.

GB’s win means the country will face the big boys next year in the top Pool - Canada, USA, Finland, Germany, hosts Slovakia, Denmark and France.

But before then, the Steelers’ winger hopes some of that GB magic will rub off domestically, on his club.

“Next year will be pretty special for GB” he said.

“A lot of people had predicted that we would be adrift of the leaders in the group we were in, yet we won it. So let’s see how we go on in the top flight.

“It will be incredibly tough, but we’ll go there and see whether the margins are as wide, between us and them, that some people think.

“The GB promotion didn’t completely make up for a bad season for Sheffield - it’s not great when you don’t win anything.

“But hopefully those of us who played for GB can bring that winning way with us in the Elite League.”

Meanwhile, Dowd believes the GB team didn’t get the recognition it deserved in the media.

“It was massive for our sport and we won it for our country. I don’t know how many years have gone passed since GB did anything like that. But as for the national media, I don’t think we got the coverage we deserved.”